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Posted on 09/16/2005 8:33:49 PM PDT by patricktschetter
3 weeks ago I bought a used Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle from a dealership in another state. While I was riding it a week ago, I had a very low speed accident which damaged the bike (I wasn't hurt.) While I removed the damaged parts from the bike and waited for new parts I'd ordered from another dealership to arrive, I found many things which were wrong with the motorcycle, most significantly damage to the air filter housing which was not particularly evident from the outside of the bike, resulting in the engine ingesting dirt. I've put about 170 miles on it and really doubt that this and the other problems happened during my ownership. It was billed as having an almost-new engine with only 1000 miles on that (the chassis has about 10,000).
I figure that legally I'm S.O.L. (no warranty, caveat emptor, etc) but is there any good way to encourage these folks to try to make me happy?
Doesn't your state have Lemon Laws?
The way I understand both the law of the state where I live, and the state where I purchased the bike, is that only new cars and trucks are covered.
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Call the dealer & ask them to send you a new housing. They may care enough. If they are dickish, you can try the Better Business Bureau. That usually wakes them up.
If the damage is to the housing, you should still be sucking filtered air into the thumper, unless it's on the intake portion. New many guys who removed the houseing altogether unless they were running in the wet stuff.
MF - maybe a hooligan has an idea or access to a cheap housing.
I'm no expert, but it sounds to me like it is time to smoke a cigarette - you just got screwed
Damn, dude, beat me to the punch.
Sorry man, I think SOL sez it ... hope you gotta good deal :^)
Unfortunately the damage is on the "clean" side of the housing. I'm figuring on just sticking something over the hole -- maybe epoxying some window screen over the hole and using it as a support lattice for a fair bit of Bondo, or something like that.
The deal seemed good at the time. I'll have to put several grand into the bike before buying new would have saved money. Saving time is another matter. It's a good thing I do have the time and inclination to do the work myself.
Unnngh!
The bike isn't worth putting several grand into.
Check eBay or online bike dismantlers for a new/used airbox. I've bought a ton of good quality used parts for my 88 YZ 250 on there. I would recommend replacing the airbox vs rigging the hole.
Freepmail me if you need some good cycle salvage places.
The KLR is a very popular bike and there are lots of after market manufacturers out there.. Look on Ebay and you can probably get a replacement for that fairly resonable. I would talk to the dealer first and see what they have to say. Most cities have more than a cpl of dealerships and don't want a bad name for themselves.
It sounds like you bought a "repair & sell" bike. But that's not always a bad thing.
Fix what you can. Check engine compression. Flush and refill all the engine fluids.
Enjoy & Ride Safe. :)
Get it fixed, change the oil, ride it about 50 miles and change the oil again. At that point, if it runs ok and doesn't use too much oil, yer done. If it uses oil and doesn't run well, rebuild, sell or trade.
It's likely that whoever removed the engine for rebuilding damaged the airbox in the process. Hope the same guy didn't have his hands inside your engine!
You've already had an accident with the bike, and you removed the damaged parts, which reveled other damage. My bet is the dealer tells you that you are SOL because the damage could have been done by the accident, and there is no way to prove it is prior damage. Also, many dealers sell vehicles "as is"...check your purchase paperwork.(playing devils advocate on this one!)
KLR650 is a single cylinder thumper.
Buyer beware - YOU did not exhibit due dilligence in determining the validity of the claim - If you had, you could have probably purchased it substantially cheaper
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